Appeals court says Locke family's wrongful death lawsuit against officer can move forward
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has ruled a lawsuit against a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Amir Locke three years ago can move forward.
Amir Locke was sleeping on his cousin’s couch in Minneapolis on the morning of Feb. 2, 2022, when a SWAT team burst into the room. Locke, who was not the person officers were looking for and was holding a firearm, was fatally shot by officer Mark Hanneman about eight seconds after police entered, according to the complaint.
Locke’s parents, Karen Wells and Andre Locke, sued the city of Minnesota last year, alleging that their son’s constitutional rights were violated, that the Minneapolis Police Department failed to adequately train officers and that the department has a history of using excessive force and no-knock warrants against people of color.
In an interview with MPR News on Friday, a lawyer for the Locke family said the body camera footage is murky.
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“He was not given the opportunity to save himself,” said attorney Jeff Storms. “And we see, obviously, support for those arguments by us and what we believe to be the truth.”
Two months after Locke’s death, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that they would not criminally charge Hanneman for Locke’s killing, saying that state law gives officers wide discretion in using lethal force if they believe someone was being threatened with death or great bodily harm.
The no-knock raid by Minneapolis police was requested by the St. Paul Police Department, who were seeking Amir Locke’s cousin in connection with the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Otis Elder the month before in St. Paul. Locke’s cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, has since pleaded guilty to Elder’s killing and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Family members described Locke as a talented musician. He had no criminal record, and his family said he was a legal gun owner with a permit to carry.
In a statement, the city wrote this about the court’s decision: “The Eighth Circuit issued an opinion stating that it lacks jurisdiction to consider the appeal. This is a purely procedural ruling that does not speak to the merits of the case or the reasonableness of the officers’ actions.”
